Means for operating awnings.



No. 703.693. I Patented July I, I902.

w. s. aowsan.

MEANS FOR OPERATING AWNINGSv (Application filed Jim. 20, 1902.)

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m: NORRIS PETKM'CU fmotouvuou wmaron. v. c.

citizen of the United States, residingin the said gear is a swing-socket5, loosely mounted of the gear 4 on the roller-shaft 2.

UNITED STATES ATENT QFFICE.

\VESLEY S. BOVVSER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

MEANS FORFOPERATING AWNING-S."

SPECIFICATION forniing part of Letters Patent No. 703,693, dated July 1,1902. hpplication filed \Ianuary 20, 1902. Serial No. 90,489. (Nomodel.)

To all whom, itmcty concern: Be it known that LWESLEY S. BoWsER, a

city of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri,-have invented certain'newand useful Improvements in Means for Operating Awnings, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, andexact description, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to means for raising and lowering that class ofawnings attached to and adapted to be wound on rollers, the constructionof the device'being such that the roller may be quickly and efficientlyrotated to wind the awning thereonto or permit the unwinding of theawning. I

The invention consists in features of novelty hereinafter fullydescribed, and pointed out in the claim.

Figure I is a side elevation illustrating my device. Fig. II is a viewpartly in frontelevation and'partly in vertical section. FigIII is avertical cross-sectional view taken on line III III, Fig. I.

1 designates the roller of an awning, having a shaft 2, that issupported in suitable hangers at the desired elevation.

3 is a fragment of the awning on. the roller.

1 designates a bevel-gear fixed to the shaft 2 at the end of the roller1, and located beside on the shaft and held from endwise movementthereon by a collar 6, secured to the shaft by a set-screw 7. i

8 is a vertical shaft having its upper end loosely positioned in theswing-socket'5, so as to be capable of turning freely therein.

9 is a bevel-pinionheld to the vertical shaft 8 by a set-screwlOand'having its teeth arranged in meshing engagement with the teeth 11designates a box adapted to be mounted on the wall of the building'towhich the awn-, ing is applied and through the upper portion of whichthe vertical sh'aftSpasses, so as to rotate in the box, the shaft beingupheld by a supporting-collar 12, containinga set-screw 13. Fixed to thelowerw'end'of the vertical shaft 8, within the box 11, is a bevel-pinion14, that is held to said shaft by a set-screw 15.

16 is a bevel-pinion that meshes with the v bevel-pinion 14 and ismounted on a shaft 17,

horizontally positioned in the'box 11 and adapted to receive a crank 18,by which it may be turned. On the shaft 17, within the box 11, is aratchetlf), that is adapted to receive the engagement of apawl'20,'pivotally connected to the box 11. 1

' In the practical use of the device the shaft 17 is rotated through themedium of the crank 18, and by the intermeshing of the bevel-pinions 14and 16 rotation is imparted to the vertical shaft 8, and consequently.to the bevelpinion 9, carried thereby. In the rotation of the verticalshaft its upper end turns freely in the swing-socket 5, and through theinterineshing connection between the bevel-pinion 9. and thebevel-gear 4rotation is imparted to the'roller-shaft 2 to wind the awning 3 onthe'roller 1 or permit its unwinding therefrom. The swing socket 5 beingloosely mounted on the roller-shaft hangs freely suspended. Thereforethe roller-shaft may turn fre'elytherein and the coinciding partsoperate with freedom and ease of action.

' In many buildings to which awnings are applied, such as thosecontaining store-rooms, there are projections or lintels that protrudebeyond the faces of the walls a very considerable distance in someinstances and to which it is necessary to attach the roller or aroll-awning, and it is the intention of my invention to provideanawning-operating construction that may be so mounted as to set inwall-facings irrespective of'the projection to which'the. awning-rolleris applied. It is apparent that in awning-operating means to beuniversally adjustable upon buildings having more or :lessprojectingwall portions, as stated, it is highly-essential that the constructionof the awning-operating means be such that the vertical 'operating shaftmay be placed in varying degrees of uprightness or inclination withrespect to the building-wall, ,and:this my construction provides for.

will be seen from the drawings and the foregoing description that theswing-socket 5 enables the mounting of the shaft 2 of the awning-rollerin any position above i the operating-gearing beneath it, either in 'avertical plane above it or to one side of'a" vertical plane, inasmuch asthe swing-socket may be moved on the roller-shaft to position it so thatit will properly receive the upper end of the vertical operating-shaftirrespective of whether the roller-shaft is directly above the lowersupport of the vertical operating-shaft or at one side of a verticalplane from said support. In this connection it is only necessary toproperly mount the lower end of the vertical operating-shaft in itssupport in a manner that will enable it to stand upright or extendupwardly in an inclined direction.

I claim as my invention- In a device of the class described, thecombination of a roller, a shaft on which said roller is mounted, abevel-gear fixed to said

